Red Letter Days
by tromana
Summary: There had to be rhyme or reason for what was currently happening. It was their jobs to find out how. And why. And if they'll ever get that little bit closer to Red John. And try and get through it all alive, of course... Jane/Lisbon, post 4x24
1. Chapter 1

******A/N: **So, as I said in the author's note for Running Scared, I have a lot of feelings about the season finale. And the best way for me to get them out? In fic, of course. It's probably very unwise me starting this but seriously, I just could not resist.

Anyway, this is set post-4x24 and as a consequence, there's spoilers afoot. If you haven't seen it, please do not read! I don't want to be held responsible for ruining anyone's enjoyment of the finale!

x tromana

* * *

******Title: **Red Letter Days**  
****Author: **tromana******  
********Rating: **T******  
********Characters: **Jane/Lisbon, Team  
******Summary:** There had to be rhyme or reason for what was currently happening. It was their jobs to find out how. And why. And if they'll ever get that little bit closer to Red John. And try and get through it all alive, of course...  
**Spoilers:** All of season four, and especially the season finale, The Crimson Hat.  
**Disclaimer:** Very much not mine. Just playing in the sandbox...  
******Notes: **Dedicated to Miss Peg, my eternal muse, and Divinia Serit, the best twin a girl could ever wish for. This fic is vaguely inspired by a piece of artwork submitted by Miss Peg for the Mentalist Reverse Big Bang over on LiveJournal. However, it isn't actually being written for the Big Bang. It just needed to said, is all.

**Red Letter Days**

**Part One**

"So, about Lorelei..."

Jane paused for a second; the teaspoon remained stationary in his teacup as he regarded Lisbon seriously. He'd been expecting this interrogation for a while. For a good month or so, he'd successfully managed to avoid it. Some days, she'd seemed desperate to talk about it, but on other occasions, she had simply withdrawn back into her shell. Now, it seemed like she was beginning to drive herself insane with thoughts and theorization. She needed answers and only he was able to give them to her. He sighed; there was only so many times he could avoid it without her growing too irritated now. Already, he was beginning to push his luck. Then again, he knew that Lisbon would claim he pushed his luck on a daily basis.

Carefully, he placed the spoon on the saucer and lifted the cup for a cautionary sip.

"You want to talk about this here? Really?" he answered eventually.

Lisbon rolled her eyes. "Fine, my office then."

He grinned, replaced his cup on the saucer to pick up the whole thing. Then, he took Lisbon by the elbow and guided her towards the office. They ignored the concerned look of Van Pelt from the bullpen, brushed aside Rigsby with a quick 'later' and eventually, made it there unscathed. Though the team had always been close, since his absence, they had grown even more protective of one another. Especially of Lisbon, which was to be expected, given the fact she had quite obviously been hurt the most. He knew he had a long way to go to earn their trust once more, but the fact still stung.

As he put his tea down on the table, Jane kept his eyes firmly on Lisbon. Instead of sitting behind her desk as she usually would, she perched herself on her couch. Clearly, she wanted this little chat to be a touch less formal than usual. Fine, he told himself, he could deal with that. However, that didn't stop him from going around and closing the blinds to offer them a little more privacy. He didn't suspect any of the others would attempt to see what was happening – they respected Lisbon far too much for that – but it made him feel better, if nothing else.

"We can't hold her for much longer," she stated as soon as he settled on the couch beside her.

Straight for the jugular, he mused. Though he knew they were getting close to the deadline, they'd asked the courts to extend their time for questioning Lorelei on multiple occasions; this wasn't the exact conversation he'd been expecting. Jane knew Lisbon was itching to know just how close he'd been to Lorelei. Every time the woman spoke, Lisbon took her assertions with a pinch of salt. What really mattered was _his_opinions.

"Excepting obstruction, we can't actually pin any crime on her and she's still refusing to speak," Lisbon elaborated carefully.

Jane nodded and remained mute. He knew all this. They all did. Lorelei was meant to be their greatest lead to Red John thus far and yet, so far, she refused to discuss anything more serious than the weather with them. It was frustrating, more than anything else. Jane had honestly believed that he had lured her in as she'd tried to play mind games with him. Instead, she was proving to be a more stubborn soul than he'd initially imagined.

Rather like a certain somebody else that he knew. In fact, Lorelei and Lisbon were remarkably similar in some ways, though both of them would vehemently deny it. It just seemed like Lorelei had chosen to be Red John's girl whereas Lisbon had taken a far more honorable route in life. However, they were certainly both strong women, capable of great things, with that delicious sense of vulnerability. There was no denying that.

"And?" he eventually asked long after Lisbon had fallen silent.

"Her life is at risk. We can't actually let her go, because..."

She had no need to finish that sentence. Jane remembered all too clearly the two times that they had previously spoken to Red John's allies. The moment they'd cut Renfrew loose, he had been brutally murdered by Red John in Tijuana, Mexico, along with his hooker. And as for Sam Bosco's once secretary, Rebecca? She had died before she'd even hit the holding cells. The perpetrator had immediately disappeared into the ether, too. All they could do was presume that the security guard responsible had been working for Red John had infiltrated them purely for that mission, hiding in plain sight ready for the moment to strike. Despite relentless questioning of the other guards, nobody seemed to have remembered who he was, when he'd joined the CBI, or when he'd left. It hurt, knowing an underling of Red John's had been killed so swiftly on CBI soil, and that somebody else had managed to disappear without a trace. It also posed an interesting question: why had Lorelei survived for so long in their care? Did Red John have informants that knew she had remained stubbornly mute on that specific subject matter?

And even then, why was Red John running the risk of her talking at all? She had every opportunity to sing like a lark and Jane had already tried many of the tricks in his arsenal in order to crack this very specific code. The fact that he had, thus far, been unsuccessful, didn't matter. There had still been that risk attached to it, to her.

"I assume you're suggesting witness protection?"

"What and let her head straight back to Red John the moment our backs are turned? I don't think so," Lisbon answered with a haughty air.

"A safe house, then," Jane replied, waving a hand to dismiss the differences between safe houses and witness protection. Lisbon nodded in response. "You think we still have the chance to break her in a safe house?"

"I don't know, maybe? And anyway, I thought you..."

Jane took a deep intake of breath. Now, she had finally gotten to the crux of the matter. This was what she really wanted to talk about, he could tell. Lisbon had simply used moving Lorelei on as an excuse to bring up the subject matter as subtly as possible. Of course, it wasn't a particularly subtle move, but he wasn't about to tell her that. He'd done enough damage to her lately as it was.

"You thought I what?"

"Cared about her, at least, I don't know," she said, trailing off quickly.

"You're not jealous, are you?" he deflected.

"Do I even have any right to be?" Lisbon countered.

Jane shrugged. Though he'd denied it, he had remembered the exact words he'd said to Lisbon prior to staging her shooting. He still didn't know why his tongue had loosened at that specific moment in time, however. Usually he was able to keep a very tight lid on his emotions, but it had slipped out in the heat of the moment.

And Lisbon knew what he'd said too. Almost every day since, she had looked at him with a very specific expression. One laced with a certain layer of hope that he'd maybe, just maybe, expand on it. Address the situation for a second time. Instead, he'd chosen to file it away for future reference. Things were just far too messy for that right now.

Besides, it still wasn't over yet. There was so much more they had to deal with before they could even consider thinking about how they felt about one another.

"You're right," he eventually acknowledged. "I do care for her."

"Why?" Lisbon asked, curious.

"Because deep down, she's a good person," Jane justified.

"How so? "

"I thought you'd have been able to work that one out for yourself."

"Jane..."

"Don't say it," he said quickly.

"Say what? "

"That I'm playing mind games with you. "

"Then what the hell are you doing?" she snapped, unable to take anymore. "What the hell have you been doing to me for nearly a year now?"

She paused for breath and Jane opened his mouth to speak, but she quickly cut him off.

"You're impossible, Patrick Jane."

At that, Jane stood up, grabbed his cup of tea and swiftly vacated Lisbon's office. She'd told him as much as he needed to know and besides, this conversation hadn't made the changes in their relationship any easier to deal with. Jane was more than aware of just how much he owed her. Most of the time, he'd considered it inconceivable that he'd ever be able to pay her back. Even before the latest problems he'd caused her, he'd owed her. Lisbon's latest act of goodwill had been to somehow persuade the courts that it would be a good idea that he paid off his debts to society by working for the CBI. Goodness knew how she did it; she probably cashed in a few favors of her own. And besides, Bertram seemed relieved to have him back, even at the expense of Luther Wainwright.

Wainwright. Though the man had been next to useless as a boss, but Jane had been saddened at his death. Nobody had deserved to die the way he'd done. It still hadn't been confirmed whether or not he had been dead in the back of the car, or had been shot dead in the FBI shooting. Regardless, it hadn't been Jane's choice to use him as a pawn in whatever games Red John was playing. No, that had been the decision of the serial killer himself, of potentially his mystery FBI informant. If he'd had any say, the CBI and its employees would have been kept well out of it.

Darcy was still working the case as far as he knew; however, she seemed too obvious a choice. She'd ingratiated herself within the CBI - and charmed Wainwright - Jane knew that. But to have a mole hiding in plain sight again? He just wasn't sure. For a start, it just seemed a little too obvious. Also, Darcy seemed like a far too committed cop to even consider working for a serial killer. Besides, Red John had already been there and done that. He liked the element of surprise and having Susan Darcy in his employ just wouldn't have had the same effect. If only he'd had the opportunity to meet the rest of her team, to psychoanalyze them. Maybe then, he would feel more certain about it all.

"Jane?" Van Pelt said as he meandered towards his trusty couch. "You okay?"

He nodded and she seemed satisfied with his answer. That was a baby step in the right direction, at least. It was the first time any of them had shown him that they did actually still care about him on one level or another. Van Pelt was still the most open about her irritation towards Jane, though it was still something all three of Lisbon's subordinates were in agreement of. He had a long way to go to earn their forgiveness, but he was willing to give it a good try. One day, he'd be able to get back in their good books. In the meantime, he'd have to make do with the fact they were only helping him out 'for the boss'.

xxx

Lisbon frowned as she watched Jane saunter out of her office. It always seemed to go this way; every time she tried to touch upon whatever feelings he had for Lorelei, he clammed up and somehow tried to disappear. Usually, he just walked away and left her feeling confused and yet again, hurt. Sometimes, she thought she should stop being so sensitive around him; but then again, she had been on edge ever since he'd first disappeared. Even since he'd returned back into her life, the feeling of dread hadn't really gone away. If only he had trusted her; when had she shown that she was incapable of keeping his secrets? It was he who had always been the unreliable one out of the pair of them.

She knew she could have followed him back into the bullpen, persisted in the conversation, but she simply didn't have the energy to do so, not any more. Eventually, he would open up to her. Or so she hoped. And if he didn't, then she wasn't sure whether or not she truly wanted to know what he thought of Red John's latest ally to cross paths with them. After all, it seemed like he was so scared of hurting her even more by simply telling her about Lorelei.

With a sigh, she dragged forward the copious notes she had gathered during her conversations with the woman in question. There was nothing there of interest, she knew that already. Lisbon had read through them so many times that she already pretty much knew them word for word. However, that didn't stop her from trying to see if there was anything at all that she had missed. After all, Lorelei was simply human. She could easily have slipped up somewhere along the lines, said something unintentional. And it was her job to pick up on those mistakes.

It didn't take too long for her to grow sick and tired of it, however. This wasn't the only open case they had, though, as far as she was concerned, it remained their most important. If they succeeded in breaking Lorelei, then they would finally have a tangible link to Red John, something that they could really get to grips with. Instead, she dragged out the information on another case; it was something far more mundane, to the extent that Jane had barely bothered to put any input into it. Still, the case needed solving, another murderer needed to be brought to justice. Just because he (or she) hadn't killed as many people as Red John, it didn't mean the family in question didn't deserve answers.

And besides, since losing Jane (and her losing her own focus as a result), they needed to rebuild their closed case record. It had taken a hit as her health had deteriorated due to sheer worry; Lisbon had stopped pushing her team and instead, had focused on trying to find Jane rather than do her job. And when she had been working on cases, she hadn't seemed to be able to see things that had been simply obvious in the past. But now, they were back together again, a team once more, and she wanted to get back the personal pride and respect from her peers that she'd slowly shed. Yes, closing Red John would have been a big deal, but whatever Lorelei knew and was refusing to tell wouldn't necessarily close the case. And even if it did, right now, Lisbon was more than happy to take any win that came her way. Anything just to reinstate some of the confidence she had lost in herself and her team.

Anything to show Bertram that they were still capable of the job and that they still deserved to work the Red John case.

If they lost it, then she dreaded to imagine what Red John (or Jane) would do this time around. Last time it had happened, it had cost her the life of one of her closest friends. Somebody she had respected and admired for a good long while. Somebody she had cared about ever so deeply.

Lisbon placed her head in her hands as she tried to clear her thoughts. Thinking about Bosco and Red John wasn't helping; it was just reopening old wounds. Instead, she really had to work and besides, Rigsby had handed her some very useful information on the other case. It wasn't ground-breaking, but it did move things ever so slightly further forward, if nothing else.

Just as she was about to start working, her phone rang shrilly. Grumbling, Lisbon took hold of the receiver and answered it abruptly. As the security guard from the holding cells explained the situation, a frown knotted between her eyebrows. Lisbon hadn't expected that, at all. With a sigh, she stood. She needed to talk to Jane about this. After all, the call had been pretty much all about him anyway.

It didn't take her long to find him. As soon as he'd returned to the CBI, he had immediately taken to lying on his couch once more, instead of using the perfectly functional desk that the CBI had supplied him with for years. He looked quiet, peaceful and none of the others had taken to disturbing him either. Then again, Rigsby, Van Pelt and Cho generally avoided having much to do with him at all. On occasion, they'd even bluntly refused to work with him alone and she couldn't blame them either. She wasn't the only one sporting wounds from Jane's supposed breakdown; they all were. Sometimes, it was all too easy for her to forget that small detail.

"Yes, Lisbon?"

She felt uncomfortable and knew there was a look of consternation written across her features. As Jane took a sip from his now-cold cup of tea and grimaced in response, she waited patiently. Lisbon knew she wanted his full attention for the bombshell she was about to drop on his shoulders.

"Lorelei is asking for you," she stated quietly. "She wants a word before she is moved on. "

**TBC...**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Sorry about the delay in writing this. I've had a very hectic week at work - and I've also been busy writing my Mentalist Reverse Big Bang, a fic I'm currently very excited about. Now work's settled down, I'm going to try and get on with updating this far more regularly. It's not precisely planned yet, so it'll be as much an adventure for me as everybody else!

Thank you to: Miss Peg, Divinia Serit, Frogster, MerriWyllow, Ebony10, TwilightLover-CarlisleandEsme, mamacrime25, Iloveplotbunnies, J Judit J, millabr, April, Country2776, ljp42, Lothiriel84 and Nat for reviewing part one. I hope you all enjoy the second part. Would love to know your thoughts.

x tromana

* * *

**Part Two**

"Hello, lover," Lorelei stated the second Jane opened the door to the interrogation room.

A warm smile was plastered on her face as Jane slowly approached her. He frowned. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to Lorelei; he just disapproved of her manner and her choices of subject. As far as he was concerned, they were not lovers, they never had been. Their supposed night of passion had meant nothing to him. He was purely focusing on his ulterior motive; he'd known from the offset that Lorelei had been working for Red John. Though a few women had thrown themselves at him during his apparent breakdown, every other woman had eventually been scared away by him. Apparently, there was such a thing as being too dangerous. Lorelei, however, had remained persistently by his side. It was obvious that she had more than a few skeletons hidden in her closet. Therefore, he had just played her game and waited for her to reveal her hand. It didn't take long for her to show her true colors, either.

Taking a seat opposite her, she continued to smile warmly at him. Jane rested his hands on his lap to prevent her from taking hold of them as she had done so in the past. Instead, he studied her critically in attempt to work out what it was she wanted. Besides her freedom, that was, which was already compromised to the extreme. Of course, it was possible that she was still working for Red John, that this was a part of their plan to get to him. Now, he simply had to play the waiting game.

"What is it, lover?" she asked again, a frown suddenly appearing between her eyebrows. "Are you afraid to talk to me without your babysitter around?"

"She's not my babysitter, she's…" Jane snapped back, rising to her bait.

"Oh you haven't replaced me with her have you? She's so uptight."

Lorelei's tone was almost playful, like she was treating her whole situation as just a game. Then again, that was most likely all it was to her. After all, she was no fool. She must have known that they were running out of time to hold her.

"That's none of your business and besides, she's back there," he answered back hotly and indicated to the one way mirror.

"Liar," she taunted, smirking.

"No I'm not."

"You're good at lying, but not as good as you'd like to think."

She looked far too comfortable for a friend of Red John's being held in police custody. Then again, that was no different to how she'd looked pretty much every day they'd tried to get her to speak. Lorelei deflected questions like a pro and was always quick with the comeback. Unlike the majority of people, she knew how to get under his skin.

The fact that she was capable of doing as such was probably one of the many reasons Red John had selected her for the task of luring him in. She had a certain quality that had just reeled him in, even if he was now trying to rebuild those barriers as quickly as feasibly possible.

"What do you want, Lorelei?"

His tone was cold, harsh. Jane was in no mood to beat around the bush. He'd had to endure her mind games for as long as she'd had to endure his. The time for niceties had long since disappeared. Besides, Jane knew that the softly, softly approach simply would not work on her. He knew that Lisbon could be hard work at times but Lorelei was just as much, if not, more so. Mostly because, even now, it was blindingly obvious that she still had her ulterior motives. As hard as they'd worked, they simply had not been able to destroy that wall and get that precious information out of her.

And even if she did show any signs of breaking, Jane didn't doubt that Red John would find it the appropriate time to intervene. They had to work out who the mole in the FBI was and fast. In fact, he was beginning to consider that a more appropriate line of action than breaking Lorelei herself. The moment she did break, her life would be in danger. It had happened before and none of them wanted history to repeat itself. Not this time, not when they'd been able to keep her safe within the four walls of the CBI headquarters for so long already.

Lorelei leaned forwards and clasped her hands together, resting them on the desk in between them as best she could with the shackles around her wrists. There was a devilish glint in her eyes; Jane had grown used to her acting submissive. He had a feeling that he was finally seeing Lorelei for who she really was. It didn't bother him much either way. No, he didn't want her to get hurt, but he did still want something for her. Right now, all she was to him was a tool, a means to an end. She was a potential way for him to get to Red John and finally close this chapter of his life. Lisbon may have been concerned that she held more of an importance to him than that, but in all actuality, Jane was simply looking at the bigger picture.

"I want you to get me out of here," she said in a hushed tone.

Jane threw his head back and laughed a deep, throaty laugh. That was the funniest thing he'd heard in a while. However, it had also been completely unexpected, as he'd demonstrated in his reaction to it. Why would he help her when she had shown no cause to help him? And besides, her request meant one thing and one thing only: help me get back to Red John. That, of course, was completely out of the question. She may have thought that her demure act, the batting eyelashes, the act of innocence had lured him straight back in, but she had never had a chance. Knowing that Lorelei worked for Red John had colored his opinions of her before she'd even had the opportunity to try anything else. They needed to keep her safe and returning to Red John to do goodness knows what was simply not possible. Her eyes had an almost pleading expression in them and he couldn't help but wonder whether or not she actually believed this act was working.

She hadn't said a single word to him for a month. Or at least, nothing of any use whatsoever. Now, she was asking for favors without offering anything in return. And even then, what she had to offer would have to be something pretty special for him to even consider it for more than half a second.

"You cannot be serious," he said eventually.

"Red John would see it as a gift," Lorelei answered back.

"Please, we both know what would be the only gift he'd accept."

The request for Lisbon's head in a box still taunted his waking thoughts. She had dismissed it as being nothing. Lisbon had claimed that she'd always known that she was somewhat in Red John's radar, that they whole team were. According to her, this had simply been the first instance where Red John had demonstrated her beliefs as fact. Lisbon was adamant that she was in no more danger than she had been two years ago. The target had been painted on her back the moment she had accepted the offer to work on the Red John case. She wasn't scared; she had no reason to be. All she wanted to do was try her hardest to finally bring him to justice. Good triumphs over evil, she insisted.

However, Jane knew that was just a brief glimpse of just how optimistic she could be at times. Good didn't always win; Lisbon knew that better than most. She was just trying to remain positive about catching a serial killer who had eluded her for far too long now.

And her life was in danger, now more so than ever. Every time she took that extra step closer to Jane, he knew that she was heading deeper into dangerous waters. All he could really do was attempt to apply damage limitations, to try and keep her at arms' length as much as possible.

If that meant pretending to Lorelei for fear of what she might try and pass on to Red John, then so be it.

"It would be a start," she answered with a shrug.

"Who says I want to be close to Red John anymore?" Jane questioned seriously.

"I know you do."

"How so?"

"How else will you kill him if you don't manage to get close to him?"

Like Lisbon had merely a couple of hours earlier, Lorelei had cut to the heart of the matter with swift efficiency. This was the most candid she had been about Red John ever since she had started her incarceration, as such. Then again, the fact that she was due to be under what could be described as little more than house arrest, talking to him properly couldn't have come any quicker.

There was a sharp knock on the one way mirror and Jane immediately glanced over his shoulders to look at it before returning her attention to Lorelei. She sat there, smirking back at him. He didn't need to see who it was; he could already tell. The rest of the team maintained their cool aloofness. While they had each in turn attempted to question Lorelei, most of them didn't pay as much attention to the case as they would have done so in the past.

"Seems like you weren't lying, then," Lorelei stated lightly. "Unless you didn't _know_ she was listening in?"

There was another tap at the window, more frantic than the previous one. Lorelei was right; he hadn't known that Lisbon was back there. Then again, it was hardly a surprise that she had wanted to listen to this conversation. She was as invested in Lorelei's actions and words as he was.

"It seems like your babysitter wants to talk to you."

"I've already said..."

"What would you prefer me to call her, then? My replacement?" Lorelei replied, cutting him off yet again.

"She's not replacing anybody," Jane answered dryly.

"Not even your wife?" she replied coyly.

xxx

"What does she mean that I'm replacing your wife?" Lisbon growled as they headed towards her office.

Security had just shipped Lorelei back off to the holding cells, much to her relief. They'd held her in custody for so long, had bent as many rules as possible in order to keep a hold of her. For a long while, Lisbon had wondered whether or not it was worth it, if they would have anything to prove that they'd needed to keep her in this long without charge. It seemed that, finally, her faith was coming into fruition: that Lorelei was finally talking. Unfortunately, it provided them with little more than they had already known.

Except for one small detail, something that had niggled from the moment Lisbon had heard Lorelei state the words. Red John knew just how close she and Jane had gotten. The killer had seen fit to implant that knowledge into the minion he'd groomed especially for Jane; given her the arsenal to throw them both off guard when she needed to. He had anticipated where their relationship would head, without them themselves even knowing either way.

And if he was right, then he was going to take action as soon as feasibly possible.

Though she never told Jane as such (never mind anyone else), deep down, it did frighten her somewhat. Her job had taken her into many a dangerous situation, but it was only on very rare occasions that she felt the noose around her neck as tightly as she did at this very specific moment. Lisbon always tried to remain as calm as possible about the concept of being in such a position, but even so, it always had some effect on her. It was only natural, after all.

"You know what she meant," Jane said quietly once her office door was firmly shut.

"Yeah, I guess. But..."

"But?" Jane said, prompting for more.

"_We_ don't even know what's going on between us," she asserted firmly. "How does she know? How does Red John know?"

Lisbon glanced around her office warily. Usually, this was one place where she felt especially comfortable. Now, she could only wonder just how safe it truly was. Had Red John been listening into the conversation they'd shared while they staged the shooting? Had he known, even then, that she had gotten out of that specific situation unscathed? Did he know about the 'love you' that she still found herself questioning, night and day?

Or was it something in her body language? Lisbon didn't doubt the concept that Jane probably knew that she had fallen in love with him somewhere along the line. Despite all the crap that he threw at her, despite all the trouble he had caused her, she had genuinely been pulled in his direction. She'd always had a penchant for trying to mend things, to fix people and Jane was the most broken man she had ever come across. However, she also knew it was impossible to go there. There was still too much they had to work through before it became logical. And on top of that, for a long while, she had doubted that he would ever have reciprocated her feelings. He was practically married to a ghost, still. As a consequence, she had pushed it all down and pretended it had never happened. Tried to get on with living her life and making sure she reached her fullest potential in her career.

Jane, somewhat infuriatingly, refused to answer. Instead, he tapped the index finger of his left hand against his closed lips, appearing to be ruminating about her questions. In reality, she suspected that he had already formulated his answers but was simply choosing not to share them. Ignoring the urge to let out a sigh at just how insufferable he was being, she collapsed in her chair behind her desk. However, she couldn't resist sending a dirty glare in his direction. Old habits die hard and that was one thing she very rarely had the ability to control.

"We can get the safe house organized within a week," Lisbon said, promptly deciding to change the subject. "She'll remain there until she's due in court due to the obstruction charges. Jane?"

"Yes, Lisbon?" he asked.

"Are you even listening?"

"Of course I am."

She narrowed her eyes at him. Sometimes, it was hard to tell. Lisbon knew that it was possible he was just blanking out the majority of what she was saying, favoring merely listening to anything that piqued his interest. History had taught her as much, at any rate.

"Fine," she snapped back, dropping it. "Do you think you'll be able to get her to break again before then?"

He remained stubbornly silent once more.

"Jane!"

"_Yes_, Lisbon?" His tone was one of impatience this time around.

"Well?"

Once more he shrugged and Lisbon didn't bother fighting back the sigh this time around. His mind was clearly elsewhere and there was very little she could do about that. What worried her was just how much he was taking Lorelei's statements to heart, what he was thinking about doing to (or for) her. She couldn't risk him bending the rules on this case; if they got anything remotely useful out of the woman, then they'd need it to make sure Red John's arrest held in court.

"Do you really think 'breaking Lorelei' is the most important thing to be worrying about right now?"

Lisbon balked. She hadn't expected him to come out with that. Ever since they had arrested Lorelei, he'd acted as if she were of the utmost importance. After all, the information they could possibly glean from her was most likely that key missing link they required to close the damn case. And what was more important to Jane than the Red John case?

"Fine, enlighten me," she answered back dryly. "What's more important?"

"Discovering the identity of Red John's mole within the FBI, perhaps?"

"What do you think Rigsby and Cho have been working on for the past month?" Lisbon snapped back.

When Jane looked stunned, Lisbon almost felt triumphant. His expression said it all; he hadn't known precisely what the others had been working on when they hadn't been focusing on other cases. Then again, she had already known that he wasn't particularly paying much attention to them. Instead, he had remained aloof from all of them, herself included. Probably because he believed that would somehow keep her safe.

Well, it was too late for that. Lorelei's statement had made that much clear. Red John was ready to drag her into his sick games and there was nothing much she could do about it. All she could do was hope and pray that she'd get out of it alive, and maybe send the bastard to death row, just like he deserved.

"Perhaps, if you'd actually bothered to talk to any of us properly, then you'd have _known_ that that investigation was developing."

"Don't you think that's a dangerous situation to be putting them in?"

Lisbon let out a hollow laugh. "Jane, we're CBI Agents. Our lives are permanently in danger."

She avoided adding that it was a hazard of the job, something that they were all aware of when they'd signed up. Some things were best left unsaid.

"And yours more so than ever," Jane replied hotly. "Have you actually done anything about increasing your protection besides adding another lock to your door?"

**TBC…**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay in updating. Thank you to: lolly2222, Country2776, millabr, Lothiriel84, SteeleSimz, MerriWyllow, TwilightLover-CarlisleandEsme and Ciissa for reviewing part two.

x tromana

* * *

**Part Three**

"Oh, God, you're seriously considering it, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not," he said a little too quickly.

Jane squirmed slightly underneath her penetrating gaze. Sometimes, he found it all too easy to forget that Teresa Lisbon has been trained to a high standard. She may not have been blessed (or cursed) with his eye for detail, but equally, that didn't mean she found it impossible to read people. It was a skill she required to interrogate people effectively, he knew that. However, Jane didn't appreciate her turning the tables on him. It simply made him feel uncomfortable, reminded him of just how she felt whenever he took to reading her. Even so, he knew he shouldn't have been considering helping Lorelei, but the thought was still crossing his mind. For some reason, Jane felt like the waitress' safety wasn't as compromised as previous friends of Red john's. After all, it had been a month and she was still alive and well in custody.

"Why?" Lisbon stated, with a hint of frustration. "What makes you think that she won't just be killed by Red John?"

"He loves her," Jane answered simply.

"And what made you come to that conclusion?"

"It's obvious when you know what you're looking for."

"Oh really? Care to enlighten me?" she questioned, the frown growing all the more apparent.

"Teresa."

"Yes, _Patrick_?"

"It's not her safety you should be concerned about."

"No, it's yours," she answered back dryly. "Clearly, you're intent on getting yourself killed again."

"Actually, you need to show more concern for your own safety, and besides, do you really think it's safe to talk in here?"

"Don't you think I had the sense to have the whole floor swept for bugs and hidden cameras?"

"You did?" he asked, slightly surprised. "Of course you did. But how do you know you can trust-"

"I was there."

"Did you find anything?"

Jane watched as she opened her drawer. Inside were several different cameras and listening devices. In a way, he was surprised to see just how many there were; how long had Red John been listening into their conversations for? Had they been present for years, or were they a relatively new installment? Was that how Red John had been able to keep ahead of them all these years?

"They've been deactivated," she assured him gently. "And they're going straight to evidence."

"Good," he answered with a decisive nod.

By focusing his energies on Lorelei for the past month, he had missed out on a lot. Then again, the whole team had built up barriers against him ever since he'd been fired seven months ago. It was something that he couldn't blame them for; he'd hurt them all, and especially Lisbon. Jane knew that Cho especially didn't approve of the efforts Lisbon had gone to in order to ensure he could continue working for them, albeit without pay. And he hadn't exactly been doing much to prove his worth, either. He'd been leaving them to work on the normal cases – they didn't _really_ need his help, nor did they act as if they wanted it – and instead, focused on his own problems.

He had plenty of them, of course, but by excluding them as much as they were doing to him, he was only causing himself more problems. Lisbon had already surprised him more than enough times in this one brief conversation. If he'd actually bothered to communicate with the team, then he would have known all of this already. It would have meant more restful nights instead of tossing and turning, wondering about whether or not Lisbon would actually be making it into work in the morning or whether something terrible had happened to her. Even so, it didn't quell his fears for her; if Red John really wanted to get a hold of her, then it wouldn't provide him with much difficulty. _Especially_ as the FBI had an informant, and they still hadn't worked out his or her identity. Though the CBI and FBI had a fractious relationship, he knew that Lisbon ultimately put her trust in them. She had to, in order to maintain a working relationship.

Then again, Susan Darcy had thrown that all into the air when she'd decided to arrest Lisbon and the team.

"Do you think…"

"He's added anymore? No," she answered, cutting him off.

They fell into a brief silence. Jane took the opportunity to study Lisbon's features. She looked infinitely more tired than she had done in years. He couldn't blame her for that; the stress of the past eighteen months had taken its toll on her. Deep down, he'd always known that trying to keep up with him had worn her down. Barely a day had gone by where he hadn't caused her some sort of trouble, and of late, he had put her through hell and back.

Sometimes, it felt like he would never stop owing her for whatever she did for him. She had truly stuck with him through thick and thin. The last person to do that had been his wife, and it was all too obvious what happened to her as a result. Jane swore that he would prevent anything from happening to Lisbon, but he wasn't just fighting against Red John to stop that, but Lisbon herself as well. She was the most stubborn person he had ever come across.

"Jane," she said, breaking the silence.

"Yes, Lisbon?"

"Don't do whatever Lorelei says, please?" she stated, practically begging him. "You _know_ it will only end in heartache."

"I'm not."

"You're lying," Lisbon answered back hotly and continued before he even had a chance to protest. "You know what? You can just go to hell. I tell you not to do something, and you do it anyway. I give you more freedom and you're even worse. There's _nothing _I can do to help you. What's the point?"

"Lisbon I-"

"Don't bother."

"Uh, boss?"

Van Pelt loitered tentatively at the door frame and seemed to know that she was interrupting a very important conversation. Slowly, she backed away and Jane was relieved. He wasn't sure what he was going to do about Lorelei yet; he most certainly didn't want Lisbon jumping to conclusions before he even made a decision. Things were difficult enough as it was and he'd already had a taste of what it was like not having her fighting his corner. That was something he didn't want to experience any time soon.

"I can come back later."

"Yes, do that," Jane replied.

"No, we're done here," Lisbon snapped in response. "What have you got for me?"

"It's the credentials in the Basinger case. Something doesn't quite add up in their family business. I think that…"

Jane took that opportunity to slip out of Lisbon's office. There was no point in trying to win her back right now; she had already come to her conclusion. And besides, Van Pelt had already caught her attention with a break in a different case. Slowly, he meandered back into the bullpen. Rigsby and Cho were hard at work, though he couldn't be sure what they were working on at that precise moment in time. He hovered behind Rigsby and took in the sight of his desk. A newly framed photograph had appeared to the left.

"What do you want?"

"That's a lovely photo of Ben," Jane said, and he meant it. "When was it taken?"

"At his first birthday party," Rigsby answered, but didn't bother to elaborate.

That was unusual. Jane already knew that Rigsby was a doting father, that it didn't take much to trigger him into gushing mode when it came to his son. He understood that feeling all too well; that your offspring could truly become the center of your universe. That was definitely true of Rigsby; barely a day went by when he didn't make a passing comment about little Benjamin's progress. The boy had certainly wrapped his father around his little finger and strengthened the relationship he shared with Sarah as a result.

But it didn't make a difference either way about his relationship with Jane. Apparently, it seemed that when he had started his latest plan to lure in Red John, he had ended the team's family-like relationship with them. He'd betrayed them.

It was becoming all too apparent that he needed to work out some sort of a plan to win them back on side.

"Do you have any background information on Lorelei?"

"I thought you already knew everything you needed to know about her."

Jane waved it off with a dismissive hand. "Sometimes it helps to see somebody else's point of view on the matter."

"Has Lisbon okayed this?" Rigsby asked dubiously.

"Sure," Jane lied with practiced ease. "We've made some progress and she thinks we can do some more before Lorelei moves on."

Dubiously, Rigsby handed over a file he had been clutching hold of tightly from the moment that Jane had appeared from behind him. Cho glanced up from his own computer at that second and frowned as he carefully handed it over. Jane thanked him politely before heading over to the couch. The leather was soft and reassuring; sometimes it felt like the one thing that hadn't changed in his absence from the CBI. Lying probably wasn't the best way to gain their favor, but it was something that he needed to do. After all, if he could break Lorelei again, then it would provide them with something to work on. Get them all that step closer to Red John. A pensive smile crossed his face as he opened up the folder to read.

xxx

Lisbon immediately dismissed any thoughts of Jane from the moment that Van Pelt entered her office. The presence of the youngest agent reminded her that Jane wasn't the only cause for concern she had right now. She still had a job to do, even if Red John was still out there somewhere and they held a member of his inner circle in custody. Instead, the Basinger case became the higher priority. If they could close it, then it would prove that the team still worked well together, that they didn't need to be messed around with.

That the six months without Jane had just been a slight hiccup in the scheme of things.

It was her fault, and she knew it. She had allowed herself to get too distracted by the fact Jane was missing, had driven herself sick with worry. It was leadership 101; what she did, the team merely followed. Lisbon knew that she should have known better, that she should have compartmentalized her feelings about Jane better, but it had been far easier said than done. At least things were getting somewhat back to normal, she surmised.

Or rather, Jane was back with them in body, even if he wasn't in mind.

But that was equally a cause for concern. She used to at least be on the same page as him, but now, he could have been thinking anything and she wouldn't be entirely sure. The guesswork that he was thinking about following Lorelei's lead had literally been a stab in the dark, but it seemed to have touched a raw nerve. However, Lisbon knew that if he dared to help release her, help her escape back to Red John's 'loving' arms, then history would merely be repeating itself. Lorelei would simply be another person sacrificed to Red John for no good reason. And though she was an, albeit un-convicted, criminal, Lisbon simply did not want to see that happening.

Equally, it was seeming like Jane was becoming more and more of a lost cause. Though she seemed to have a lot of understanding when it came to St. Jude, Jane was almost a lost cause too far. Lisbon knew she couldn't save them all, but the more she tried with Jane, the further he was out of her grasp. And at the same time, the more he seemed to hurt her. Because deep down, she knew that she loved him, even if she wasn't entirely sure why. At the same time, Lisbon also realized that it was too dangerous for her to even dare to go there.

The request for her head in a box hadn't just been a message for Jane, but for herself as well.

Red John knew that she theoretically had some kind of control over Jane, even if that was simply just a need for him to have her in his life. She knew that she provided him with some sort of stabilization. And it was clear that that very fact irked Red John. If she was there, she had the ability to make Jane happy. A happy Jane was bad news for the serial killer, who was intent on making Jane's life a misery. Kristina Frye's fate had been evidence enough of that, and the psychic had done much less than Lisbon ever had done.

However, there was still a question that niggled at the back of her mind. Why had Red John left it so long in order to start toying with her, to bring her into play on his elaborate game board? What had changed which meant that Red John decided he needed to intervene with her?

And what was he going to do next?

She shook her head. This wasn't what she was meant to be thinking about. Instead, she had to decipher why Daniel Basinger had been lying about his income and where the sudden additional expenditure had gone. Lisbon already knew, thanks to Cho and Van Pelt, that Basinger had a cast-iron alibi, but that didn't alter the fact it was entirely possible that he had hired somebody to kill on his behalf. After all, he had a motive to have his wife dead. Greed was a terrible thing and inheriting his new wife's fortunes provided him with a solid reason to kill. Especially if he thought he could get away with it by not being the one to fire the gun.

However, until they got some actual answers, that was just supposition, even if it did sound reasonable. The man could quite easily have had a logical explanation and it was their job to find that out.

"Boss?"

"Yes?"

Van Pelt had remained relatively quiet on the way to the Basinger residence. They were just five minutes away from their destination when she finally spoke up. When she had first joined the CBI, Van Pelt had been quiet, desperate not to make mistakes. She never spoke out of turn. Since discovering her fiancé had been working for Red John, she had changed, had grown stronger and was more likely to speak her mind. Now she had stopped running quite so hot, Lisbon was pleased with how the youngest member of the team had developed. She had developed into a hardworking and dependable cop. And since O'Laughlin, she had grown a new level of resilience and refused to give up. They were characteristics that Lisbon found it all too easy to admire.

However, despite the fact she had grown closer to all the members of her team, Lisbon still didn't much like talking about personal issues with her coworkers. There was a reason she built walls between herself and other people and that was for her own protection.

"Why did you forgive Jane?"

"Who says I have?"

"You got him back on the team," Van Pelt replied with a shrug.

"So?" Lisbon answered back peevishly.

"Most other people wouldn't be able to stand the sight of him after what he did to us."

"Where are you going with this, Van Pelt?"

"I just think you need to be careful," Van Pelt stated carefully. "Jane isn't exactly-"

"Are you trying to give me relationship advice?"

Lisbon would have been amused had she not been so thoroughly irritated by Jane earlier. Having Van Pelt piling on additional pressure simply did not help matters. Sensing that she had mis-stepped, Van Pelt swiftly apologized before falling silent once more. Lisbon sighed; at least they were nearly there and could actually get on with something constructive instead of annoying one another. In a way, she partially blamed it on Jane, but at the same time it was unfair to do that. Just because he seemed to be the cause of the majority of her issues at work, it didn't mean she couldn't do something about them.

However, she was just tired of that.

Questioning Basinger gave her a brief respite from thoughts about Jane and Red John. In a way, it was almost refreshing tying the suspect up in knots and watching him fall flat on his face. The man was blatantly lying and had underestimated both herself and Van Pelt. He simply didn't expect two female cops to come down so hard on him, to be able to trick answers out of him with effective wordplay. It didn't take Lisbon too long to get a confession and it felt more than a relief when she had the opportunity to whip out her handcuffs and make the arrest. This was what she should have been doing months ago, instead of messing around and trying to catch up with her errant consultant. It wasn't just what she was paid to do, but what she thrived in doing. There was a reason she became a cop and that was to give answers to the people who needed it most and to seek out justice when nobody else would.

Carefully, she guided the man out to the SUV, ready to take him back to the CBI headquarters to finalize the details on the case. Just a little bit of paperwork later, and then everything would be done. She would be slowly, but surely, regaining the respect she deserved. Van Pelt's phone rang out and she briefly disappeared to answer it. A couple of minutes later, she joined Lisbon in the front of the car and looked a little agitated. These days, it was pretty unusual to see Van Pelt so flustered.

"Uh, can you drop me off at the rail station, boss? I need some personal time."

"Why?" Lisbon asked. Usually she expected more of a warning than a few minutes if somebody wanted time off work.

Van Pelt glanced away quickly before regaining eye contact. "My cousin, Yolanda, is coming to visit. I promised to pick her up and she caught the earlier train."

Lisbon nodded. She knew that Van Pelt was lying, but she didn't have the energy to press it any further. Later, when the case was closed and she'd sorted things out with Jane again, then she would try and discover what was really wrong.

**TBC...**


End file.
